Knot removing machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 21, 1960 ml n f I- HU D LLL m W... M L-W EImm( II f WW V m IIL L Brownie Bakke- Man. BY im n vw mw n Feb. 6, 1962B. s. BAKKE KNo'r REMOVING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 21, 1960.ll\llllllll\ llllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Brown/e 5. Bak/re l N VENTOR.

ilnited States This invention relates to a machine for removing knotsfrom veneer panels and more particularly to a machine for removing looseknots from veneer as it leaves the dryer.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine for removing looseknots from veneer. It is quite desirable to remove these loose knots ina Veneer processing procedure since the ultimate benefits are theelimination of dryer lires and the necessity of cleaning the dryers sofrequently.

Briefly, the invention is embodied in a machine to receive veneer as itleaves the dryer and convey the veneer on a special conveyor havingspace in the lower flight thereof to enable loose knots to falltherethrough for ultimate conveyance to the same hog used by the knotmachine. As the veneer is propelled by the conveyor, specialfinger-rolls, preferably having hard rubber fingers or the like thereon,engage one surface of the veneer to tap out loose knots and have'themdrop onto or into a pan beneath the lower flight of the specialconveyor.

Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide a machine forremoving loose knots from veneer, the machine having a conveyor forpropulsion of the veneer, together with means constituting a part of themachine for knocking out the loose knots and having them drop onto a panwhich directs the knots to constrain .the travel thereof whereby theymay be easily collected, for instance in the same hog used by the knotmachine.

arent These together with other objects and advantages which FIGURE 3 isa vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of FIGURE2.

FIGURE .4.is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing theconstruction of a part of one of the knot removing rolls.

In the accompanying drawings there is a diagrammatic illustration of adryer 10 from which Veneer panels 12 move. The dryer liti isconventional, as are panels 12, and ordinarily, the panels 12 are takenfrom machine 10 for further processing of the veneer panels.

The machine 14 is interposed in the production line at the discharge endof dryer 10, and the purpose of machine 14 is to remove loose knots, forinstance knot 13 (FIGURE 5) from panels 12.

Machine 14 is composed of frame 16 having a plurality of upright legs18, and a pair of inclined sides 20 and 22 for conveyor 24. Sides 22 and24 are spaced apart to form the sides of the conveyor with the flightthereof` located between the sides. rlhe flight of the conveyor is ofspecial construction in that it is formed of a plurality of groups 3u,32 and 34 of endless belts which are laterally spaced from each otheri.e., the belts in each group. Further, the belts of the groups arelongitudinally staggered (FIGURE 2) thereby leaving spaces between thebelts and a staggered arrangement to allow the knots 13 to fall throughthe spaces.

Group 30 of belts is entrained over groups 36 and 38 of rollers onrollers shafts 39 and 40 carried by bearings attached to the sides 20-and 22. Rollers 38 on shaft 40 are sufficient in number to support thebelts of group 32, and shaft 44 having rollers similar to rollers 38,supports the opposite ends of the belts in group 32. Shaft 44 and itsrollers also support one end of the belts of group 34, while shaft 46 atthe opposite ends thereof furnishes the support for the opposite ends ofthe belts of group 34. Shafts 39, 40, 44 and 46 are coupled together foruniformity of rotation by means of a belt and pulley drive 48 (FIGURES land 2) with the belts and pulleys engaged with the shafts and with asource 50 of power, for instance an electric motor. The beltingincluding double pulleys when necessary is a conventional type of drive.

The upper flight of the conveyor is established by a plurality of rollswhich are driven by belt and pulley transmission or drive 54 at theopposite side of the machine from that having the belt pulley drive 48.There are two spaced propulsion rolls 56 and 58, FIGURES 2-4, extendingtransversely across and spaced between sides 20 and 22 and located abovethe belts of groups 32 and 34. The propulsion rolls are preferablyrubber coated or covered and have their peripheries adjacent to theupper surfaces of the belts in the groups 32 and 34. The veneer panel 12is gripped between the propulsion rolls and the live belts of theendless conveyor to propel them from theinlet end of the conveyor to theplatform 60 at the discharge end of the conveyor and located betweensides 28 and 22.

Transverse rotary brushes 62 and 64 are also driven by the belt andpulley transmission 54, and they, too, extend across the space betweensides 28 and 22. The brushes wipe across the upper surfaces of theveneer panels 12 as the panels are conveyed.

The knot remover or finger rolls 68 and 70 are of identicalconstruction. These rolls, just as rolls 56,58, 62 and 64 are mountedfor rotation in bearings carried by the sides 20 and 22, and havepulleys at one end thereof constituting a part of the drive 54. Roll 70is shown in detail in FIGURE 5 and consists of a rotaryshaft 72 having aplurality of hydraulic, radially extending lingers 74 carried thereby.The fingers flex slightly when they contact the top surface of veneerpanel 12, but when a knot 13 is engaged by one lor more of the fingers,there is enough stiffness in the finger 74 to push the loose knots, forinstance loose knot 13 from the veneer panel 12. Tightly held knots arenot removed.

When the knots are removed, they are dropped through the spaces betweenthe belts of groups 32 or 34 and fall on an upwardly opening pan or traySti having an open lower end 82. The tray is carried by the legs 18 andextends essentially the full length of the endless conveyor. The upperportion of the tray is mounted on a transverse shaft 84 with which it ispivotally connected, for instance by bearings 86 which are secured tothe lower part or bottom of the tray. The lower end of the tray isarticulated by being secured to a crankshaft 88, for example by bearing98 (FIGURE 4). It is to be understood at this point that both ends orsupport points for the tray 89 may be connected to legs 18 by means ofcrankshafts identical to crankshaft 88 or alternatively, only the lowerend thereof. This is merely an option depending on the nature of thevibratory action desired.

In either case, both of the shafts 84 and 86 are mounted for rotation inbearings carried by pairs of legs 18, and at least one of the shafts,e.g. shaft 88, is a driven shaft. Motor 92 having a belt drive 94connected therewith and with a pulley on shaft 88, diagrammaticallyrepresents 3 one particular mechanical drive for vibrating the tray S byrotation of crankshaft 88.

A transverse conveyor 96 which is of conventional construction, islocated beneath the discharge end 82 of the tray Sil to collect theknots which are propelled down tray 8G by the vibratory motion impartedto the tray. Conveyor 96 may lead to the same hog used by the knotmachine and dryer.

The foreging is considered as illustrative only of the principles of theinvention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modiications and equivalents maybe resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

l. A knot removing machine comprising a frame, a conveyor adapted toreceive veneer panels and carried by said frame, said conveyor having alower Hight with spaces therebetween through which loose knots areadapted to fall, and means including a roll having a plurality ofiingers located above said lower flight for pushing loose knots from theveneer panels as they are propelled by the lower Hight of said conveyor,said means further including a brush extending transversely across thelower flight of the conveyor, said lower Hight of the conveyor having atleast two groups of belts arranged in tandem with the belts of one grouptransversely staggered with reference to the belt of the other groupthereby leaving staggered spaces in the lower Hight through which theknots may be ejected.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 wherein there is a collection traybeneath said lower Hight, and means for vibrating said collection trayto propel the knots.

3. In a machine to remove loose knots from veneer panels, a frameadapted to be positioned at the discharge end of a dryer, a conveyorcarried by said frame and having a lower Hight on which the panels areadapted to be received from the dryer, said lower Hight having spacestherein through which the knots are adapted to be projected, an upperHight constituting a part of the conveyor and located above said lowerHight, said upper Hight including a plurality of transverse rolls havingresilient fingers extending radially therefrom and constituting punchesby which to press loose knots from and through the panels as they arepropelled between said lower Hight and said rolls, at least one brushextending transversely across the lower Hight of the conveyor andadapted to brush the top surface of the panels as they are propelled bysaid lower Hight, and means beneath said lower Hight for collecting theknots which are projected from the panels.

4. In a machine to remove loose knots from veneer panels, a frameadapted to be positioned at the discharge end of a dryer, a conveyorcarried by said frame and having a lower Hight on which the panels areadapted to be received from the dryer, said lower flight having spacestherein through which the knots are adapted to be projected, an upperflight constituting a part of the conveyor and located above said lowerHight, said upper Hight including a plurality of transverse rolls havingresilient fingers extending therefrom and constituting punches by whichto press loose knots from the panels as they are propelled between saidlower ihght and said rolls, said lower flight composed of a plurality ofgroups of belts arranged in tandem, and the belts of one group beingstaggered transversely with reference to the belts of the next adjacentgroup thereby leaving staggered spaces along the length of the lowerHight of the conveyor through which the knots may be projected.

5. in a machine to remove loose knots from veneer panels, a frameadapted to be positioned at the discharge end of a dryer, a conveyorcarried by said frame and having a lower Hight on which the panels areadapted to be received from the dryer, said lower Hight having spacestherein through which the knots are adapted to be projected, an upperHight constituting a part of the conveyor and located above said lowerflight, said upper Hight including a plurality of transverse rollshaving resilient ngers extending therefrom and constituting punches bywhich to press loose knots from the panels as they are propelled betweensaid lower Hight and said rollers, said lower Hight composed of aplurality of groups of belts arranged in tandem, and the belts of onegroup being staggered transversely with reference to the belts of thenext adjacent group thereby leaving staggered spaces along the length ofthe lower Hight of the conveyor through which the knots may beprojected, and means to collect the knots which fall through saidspaces.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 622,432Ahnon Apr. 4, 1899 1,670,723 Hummel May 22, 1928 1,744,473 Hultberg Jan.21, 1930 1,816,329 Johnston July 28, 19,31 2,489,386 Reitz Nov. 29, 1949FOREIGN PATENTS 159,463 Switzerland Mar. 16, 1933

